Stories about Politics from June, 2008
Trinidad & Tobago: Silence that Kills
Four Fingers and a Thumb 2.0 speaks out against political tyranny and the passivity that allows it to continue. “A dictator in the world,” she says, “is like the abusive father in the community that no-one wants to report.”
Bermuda: Statistical massage
Bermuda blogger Vexed Bermoothes comments on the government's announcement that it will now release tourism statistics quarterly, instead of monthly. In his view, it's a situation “ripe for abuse.”
Malaysia: Opposition leader charged with sodomy
Masnoorwak urges Malaysia opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to stop hiding in the Turkish Embassy and answer the charge that he was involved in a sodomy case.
Philippines: Callous leadership?
Neo Filipino criticizes politicians, including the Philippine president, who visited the US despite the typhoon devastation and ferry tragedy which hit the country last week.
Thailand: Prime Minister and origami bird
Tor finds it amusing that Thailand's Prime Minister managed to make an origami bird while the opposition accused him of being unfit to run the country in a parliamentary session. The Curious Incidents of a Girl has a different opinion.
Cambodia: Khmer Rouge Tribunal
Updates on the Khmer Rouge Tribunal can be read in these blogs: Khmer Rouge Trial Web Portal and ECCC Reparations
Israel: Sarkozy Security Scare at Airport
As French President Nicholas Sarkozy departed Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport, shots rang out. A quick assessment revealed that one of the Israeli members of Sarkozy's security detail had turned his weapon on himself, apparently committing suicide. The victim, whose name has not been revealed at his family's request, was in his...
Kuwait: Video Games, Newspapers and Female Bloggers
Who should regulate the video gaming scene in Kuwait? This and many other questions are on the minds of Kuwaiti bloggers in this round up. Forzaq8 speaks of laws dealing with video games and who he thinks should regulate them. He writes: Politics shouldn’t interfere in games , i was...
The Balkans: Michael J. Totten's Travelogue
Michael J. Totten of Middle East Journal writes about and posts photos from his recent trip through the Balkans (93 comments); LimbicNutrition Weblog posts his response to Totten.
Russia: Media on the eXile
Sean's Russia Blog reviews media coverage of the “eXile Affair.”
Russia: Yavlinsky Steps Down
Grigory Yavlinsky steps down as Yabloko Party's leader – “a bigger deal in the international press than in Russian papers,” FP's Passport reports.
Russia, Ukraine: Energy Issues
Kremlin.Inc posts his presentation on Ukraine's energy policy; Robert Amsterdam writes on Gazprom and Anatoly Chubais.
Israel: Broken Truce Angers Israelis
Six days after Israeli and Palestinian forces brokered a ceasefire agreement, four kassam rockets fired from Gaza blasted the Western Negev. Islamic Jihad claimed credit for the attack, while Hamas, Palestine's ruling party, encouraged “all Palestinian factions to abide by the calm agreement,” asserting, “Hamas is keen to maintain the...
Poland: More on Lech Wałęsa
A debate on Lech Wałęsa continues at Polandian: “a hero / a lesser hero / a traitor. Choose your title.” Raf Uzar posts on the controversy as well.
Macedonia, Greece: More on the Conflict
Say: Macedonia discusses a Spiegel article on the Greek-Macedonian conflict and writes about a case brought by the Aegean Macedonian refugees before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Lithuania: Missile Defence Alternative?
Lituanica writes about rumors that Lithuania has offered to deploy elements of the U.S. anti-missile shield, “as an alternative to Poland.”
Hungary: Open Letter to Austria
Pestiside.hu writes an angry letter to Austria, “on behalf of Hungary.”
Hungary: “National Pride”
Hungarian Spectrum writes about the “puzzling” issue of “national pride.”
Hungary: Gyurcsány Government's “Half Time”
Hungarian Spectrum writes about successes and failures of Gyurcsány government at what some people think is its half time (and others don't).
Lithuania: Soviet and Nazi Symbol Ban
Itching for Eestimaa thinks that Lithuania's recent decision “to ban both Soviet and Nazi symbols, as well as national anthems, is […] a mistake.”
Cuba: Waiting in Miami
Ninety miles away….in another country points readers to an article about the cultural milieu of Miami's Little Havana, where old men eat Cuban sandwiches and dream of regime change in the island of their birth.
